Friends of Viola Beach Release Cover of ‘Swings & Waterslides’

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Warrington Musicians Remember Viola Beach

Five years on from the tragic car accident that ended the lives of Viola Beach band members and manager Craig Tarry, a community of talented musicians from Warrington has come together to record a cover version of Viola Beach’s ‘Swings And Waterslides’.

The deaths of Kris Leonard (vocals, guitar), Jack Dakin (drums), River Reeves (guitar), Tomas Lowe (bass) and - Craig Tarry (manager) sent shockwaves throughout the music world, and in particular, the band’s musical peers in their hometown of Warrington. Since 2016, the music community in Warrington and beyond has strived to keep their memory alive by continuing their legacy. World famous acts such as Liam Gallagher and The Stone Roses encouraged people to get the band’s debut single ‘Swings And Waterslides’ to Number 1 in the charts, and Coldplay paid tribute to the group, covering their single ‘Boys That Sing’ while headlining Glastonbury on the Pyramid Stage in 2016.

Swing and Waterslides 2021

‘Swings And Waterslides’ was Viola Beach’s debut single, originally released on 27th August 2015 on Fuller Beans Records. This years’ reimagining of the song is performed by a collection of musicians from various bands who have grown from the Viola Beach legacy. The project was organised by Lee Harman, founder of local music blog Warrington Music [WAM], and supported by Viola Beach’s former sound engineer Cal Bate.

“Viola Beach left their own legacy despite their short time together. They were the first of a new wave of bands who were proud to be from Warrington…they put Warrington on the map, and we want to show they’re still an important part of the town’s culture.” - Lee Harman

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The band subsequently released their second single ‘Boys That Sing’ on Communion Records, and their debut self-titled album was released posthumously on 29th July 2016, reaching number 1 in the UK Albums Chart.

“The boys’ legacy will live on forever and they left us some beautiful music. They will never be forgotten and they are everything to Warrington and its music scene.” - Cal Bate

Five years on, the new cover version of Swings and waterslides is released on February 12th 2021 as a charity single. All sales and streaming revenue from the cover version will be donated to charities chosen by the families of Viola Beach.

Warrington Band Members Come Together for Charity Single

The full line up of contributors to the recording is as follows:

  • Vocals: Joe Banks (The A.V Club), Lucy Bell, Jamie Boyle (The K’s), Liam Hillyer, Jessica Luise, Calan Nickle (Sienne), Olly Thornton (Uno Mas)

  • Guitar: Amy Woodall (Crawlers) & Nathan Greenfield (Aligners)

  • Drums: Chris Peake (Filthy Tricks)

  • Bass: Ed Dowling (The Zangwills)

  • Mix: Cal Bate (Pr & former Viola Beach sound engineer)

  • Artwork: Cameron Brown